Then & Now

by Kimberly Lowe

  “Yeah, I guess that is more important than putting up our tent. Do you have any idea what time I got to camp last night?” Pausing briefly he dropped his voice to a nasty sneer. “No. You wouldn’t have, would you? Instead of putting up a tent you weaseled your way into someone’s trailer.”

  Guilt instantly gone she folded her arms and eyed him carefully. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” He growled.

  “Let me get this straight. While you went off into the mountains—leaving me alone—you expected me to build a tent in which I have never done in my life!” She felt her anger getting the better of her. Her ears burned with rage as her voice cracked. She knew this was going to be a bad weekend.

  “What you can’t read instructions?” He asked with a spiteful glare.

  “Is there a problem?” Tristan’s accent caused them both to fall silent. “John? Is there a problem?” He repeated when neither one of them answered.

  “No, sir. Just a lover’s quarrel.” John’s answer had a definite condescending undertone.

  Without looking at either one of them Sophia kept her eyes glued on her shoes. As tears threatened to spill she cleared her throat. She was so tired; tired of everything. Emotionally drained and mentally exhausted. She wanted to go home.

  “Okay…Then when you’re done with yer tent, I want ye to lead the team back to where you were located yesterday.” Tristan ordered with distinct authority.

  “You want me to lead?” John asked with the hostility suddenly vanishing from his voice.

  “Aye. Trent told me about yer quick thinking that saved most of the equipment. I need someone like you to be running my teams.” Although he spoke to John, Sophia could feel his eyes on her. “Of course, this will be a higher pay. However, the days will be longer and travel will be farther. Will this work for you?”

  “Yeah.” John exclaimed obviously pleased with Tristan’s offer.

  “Good. When you’re ready assemble a team and head out.” He turned to face her fully catching her and John off guard he asked. “If I could, I would like to use ye today in one of our testing runs.”

  Her eyes shot up to meet his heavenly ones. “Me? How can I help?”

  “Our new off-road vehicle claims that it is easy for anyone to use on all terrain.” He gave a slight shrug. “The way ye drove yesterday I think you’d be good at it.”

  Glancing at John, she noticed his quizzical stare at the two of them. She shouldn’t go anywhere with Tristan. Taking another ride with him will only make things worse. She would never be able to stop thinking about the one man she should stay away from. What she should do was go home and give her and John’s relationship a hard look over.

  “I will pay you. If that is what ye wish.” Tristan offered, sounding anxious.

  “Do it, Sophia.” John urged. “You need the money, and that way you won’t be left alone.”

  “I…”

  “Say yes!” Angela called from only a few feet away. “I don’t want to be the only girl going up with these Neanderthals.”

  Smiling at her new found friend, Sophia nodded. “Sure. It will be fun.”

  After several hours of ridding and constant laughing, Sophia had officially marked this as one of the most entertaining days she had in a long time. It was almost shocking to think that she could be comfortable this far out of civilization. Hanging out in the intimidating forest once terrified her, now for the first time in her life she felt at home.

  Munching on the best tasting candy-bar she had ever consumed, she strolled along a make shift trail waiting for the team to figure out where they were headed next. She spotted Angela sitting on a log looking worn-out.

  Taking a seat next to her, she broke off a piece of chocolate and handed to her. “You look like you need this.”

  “Oh, no thank you.” Angela twisted her face as she waved off the offering. “My stomach is not doing so well.

  “It’s probably all the giggling you two have been doing.” Kyle teased as he winked at his wife. “You’re worse than teenagers.”

  “It could be.” Angela agreed. “I haven’t had this much fun on a testing assignment in a long time. You should talk Tristan into a job out here. God knows I need a good female companion out among the testosterone.”

  Sophia caught herself actually considering the suggestion. Why not? She hadn’t thought of King Kong or any other scary type apes since they started. And this was way better then hanging out in a cubical for eight hours a day. Although, she knew why not. Being around Tristan all the time would do major damage to her and John’s relationship. Hell, it already was.

  Angela made a small wine of discomfort that pulled Sophia from her thoughts. Giving her friend a closer look she noticed that her color had paled. “You don’t look so good. Are you sure it wasn’t something you might have eaten?”

  She gave a light shrug. “Honestly, I think I’m getting the flu. My head is starting to hurt and my nose is running like a faucet.”

  “Maybe we should start heading back.” Sophia recommended feeling sorry for the other woman.

  She laughed derisively. “No. Tristan will want to finish for the day. I used to love that about him, now it’s annoying. I’ll be okay.”

  Skeptical of Angela’s claim of being ‘okay’, she eyed her more carefully. After a moment Angela made another soft moan. “Yeah, you need to go back.” Standing up she went to look for Tristan.

  She found him and the other three men that came up with them near the creek bed. All four of them seemed to be in a deep conversation about one of the bikes, which caused her to wait for him to notice her.

  “It just won’t start.” One of the men was saying. “I need to get it back to camp, so I can figure out what happened to it.”

  Tristan stared at the bike for a moment before saying. “Alright. Do what you got to do.” Turning slightly he caught sight of her and his face went from concern to pleased instantly. “Hello, beautiful. Are ye enjoying yourself?”

  “Yes. I haven’t had this much fun since….Well, for awhile.” Pointing to the quad she decided to change the subject before they got into something she wasn’t ready to discuss. “That wasn’t something I did, was it? If I broke your bike I’ll—”

  “No. This wasna you.” He chuckled as he placed both hands on her shoulders. “I didn’t like this quad to begin with. It wasna stable enough. I have had problems with this model for awhile now.”

  She nodded slowly, as the heat from his hands seared her skin. It would be so easy to walk into his arms. She had never been with another man, though with Tristan she doubted the transition would be difficult.

  Trying desperately not to think about him in the way her body demanded her to, she focused on something small. Maybe she could find something that would be less appealing about him. If there was something she could focus on that could help her get her head on straight like….like…nothing she couldn’t find one damn thing wrong with him—oh she was so screwed.

  “Tristan?” Kyle called as he approached them. “Hey, man. Me and Angie need to head back to camp. She’s not feeling so good.”

  Blinking out of her trance she scolded herself for overlooking the real reason why she came looking for him. “Yeah. She thinks it’s the flu.” Sophia agreed stepping away from Tristan’s powerful force.

  “I think we’re all done for today.” Tristan established as he placed both hands on his hips.

  She couldn’t help but think that it was a deliberate move to keep from reaching for her again. Normally she would have never called a move like that, however the look he gave her said more than he had probably intended.

  An uncontrolled smile pulled at the corners of her lips. She understood his need, and wanted to relieve it. What was it about this man that made her contradict everything she once held safely? Was it the fundamental sexual need to be with another man? Just to know what it was like to be touched and held by someone else, to make sure she wasn’t missing out.

  This could be
pent up aggression based on lack of orgasm. Or it could be the way she saw herself through his eyes. The sexy desire she saw there for her was paralyzing. No one has ever looked at her that way before.

  This also could be a test of her and John’s relationship. Then again it could be a sign to move on from something that might have never wanted her to begin with?

  A loud crashing sound grabbed her from her thoughts and had all three of them jumping.

  “What the hell was that?” Kyle asked taking off in the direction of the sound.

  Tristan fallowed making sure she was close behind him. At first she wasn’t sure what she was looking at. Dust and smoke lifted up over the side of a small overhang a short ways from where they had stopped to rest. She caught Angela’s expression and stopped next to her as all five men stared over the side.

  “What happened?” She asked Angela who looked shocked.

  “The ATV wasn’t in gear and rolled forward. It fell right into the ravine.” She explained glancing over at the man who was the last to drive the boxy off-roader.

  “Oh, this is great! Just great!” Kyle yelled. “Why didn’t you check the gears, Randy? This isn’t the first time you’ve done this.”

  Tristan placed himself between both men. “Kyle, calm down. Twas an oversight.”

  Shaking his head Kyle gestured to the bike next to them. “That’s all we have to get all six of us back to camp. Angela needs to get back.”

  “Kyle, I’m fine. Just a little sick to my stomach.” Angela eased. “Besides it only takes one of us to head back and get help.”

  “Right.” Tristan agreed. “Randy will ride back and bring what we need to get out of here.”

  Once Randy left and Kyle calmed down enough, Tristan and another man named Mike climbed down to check the damage on the ATV. Standing at the top of the ridge, Sophia watched them circle the overturned vehicle carefully. She huddled in the small jacket she brought hoping that the chill in the air didn’t get worse.

  She was wrong. By the time both men climbed back up the rift the wind had went from chilly to arctic. Wishing she had brought something warmer she rubbed her hands over her arms. While she forced the friction of her hands to work faster against her arms, her prayers were answered as a thick blanket was draped over her trembling shoulders.

  “There ye are.” Tristan smiled. “That should warm you.”

  “Thank you.” The satisfying feeling of warmth was short lived as she noticed her savoir in nothing but a t-shirt. “What about you?”

  “Nay, I’m okay.” He lied fighting a shiver.

  Removing the blanket she handed back. “You need this more than I do.”

  “Nay. I would never deny comfort to a lady.”

  “Your chivalry is going to get your butt hypothermia.”

  “Nay. Not my butt. Maybe my arms.”

  “Smart ass.” She giggled. Waving the thermal blanket in front of him she urged him to take it.

  “Nay.” He stubbornly replied.

  “Fine. I guess it won’t get used. Because, I refused to wear it when you’re clearly freezing.” Raising her chin she set the heavy blanket on a tree branch in between them.

  “Ye’re a willful little thing aren’t cha?”

  “Ditto.”

  Giving her a bold smirk he grabbed the thermal cover. “Fine then. There’s only one way to handle this.” Draping it over his shoulders he pulled her into his arms then wrapped them both tightly into the haven of warmth.

  Shifting from satisfied for his surrender, to surprised by his advance, Sophia stood motionless with her arms wedged in between them. Soon the heat that generated in the cocoon they were sharing had her relaxing against him. Her head naturally leaned into the inviting space of his shoulder.

  Inhaling his wonderful scent she closed her eyes. “I really shouldn’t be here.” She reprimanded herself.

  “None of us should. We should be back at the camp having dinner.” Tristan revised.

  Groaning she lightly shook her head without lifting it from its resting spot. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know what ye meant. But seeing how ye’re not fighting it, I figured it would be best to leave it be.” He hummed into the shell of her ear as he held her a little tighter. “In fact ye seem rather comfortable.”

  Wanting to disagree with his implications, she pulled back to get out of his arms. Only instead of an escape she found her mouth only inches from his. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing, though it looked like she was leaning in to kiss him. All kinds of warning bells went off in the back of her mind. Unfortunately she was ignoring every single one of them as she brushed her lips against his.

  He allowed her to taste, nibble, and tease while his hands sought out other places to rest. Her bottom seemed to be one of his many choices, causing her to deepen the kiss. While her tongue explored every inch of his incredible mouth, she moved her arms out from the space between them leaving nothing to block his body from hers. Tunneling her fingers deep into his hair, she let him take over.

  Listening to her own small sounds of approval, she quickly realized two things. One she was thoroughly enjoying the way he played her mouth and the other was fear. Not fear of what she was doing but fear of spontaneously combusting if he let go of her.

  This was so wrong. And yet she couldn’t get enough of it. She knew that people watching would criticize her for what she was doing to John. Nevertheless, she couldn’t have cared to save her life. A part of her, that seemed to be greater then she had ever expected, screamed at her to continue. To go as far as he would permit her.

  “Oh, Sophia.” He whispered against her swollen lips.

  Gasping the air she needed she took his mouth again. No talking. Talking would lead to things her body begged not to bring up yet. Consequences be damned. Their kiss was no longer tentative, or testing but hungry and somewhat demanding as if they both understood that they had crossed that essential line.

  It had been to long since she had experienced such insane heat. Her chaotic need was so intense she found her legs becoming jelly. Every inch of her body was aware of him, responding in ways it had never practiced before.

  Was this what it was like to play the field? To have multiple men, like Leya and her way of inviting intimacy with whomever she chose that night. Was Leya right? Had she been living a sheltered life?

  A noise in which her brain could not register shook her from the kiss. Her lips felt immediately cold from the lack of warmth provided by his. He kept her close as the large truck pulled up next to them.

  Help had arrived and yet she wanted them gone. She wanted to stay right where she was. In the shelter of his arms and in the heat they had created in such a small space.

  Kissing her nose, Tristan moaned reading her emotions clearly. “I feel the same way.”

  “Tristan?” A man’s voice called from the cab.

  Giving her another deep, pleasing kiss he removed the blanket from his shoulders and draped it over hers. “I intend to finish this.” He pledged as he stepped away.

  Although the blanket still held their heat, she shuttered at his promise.

  Sophia sat at her kitchen table mulling over the newspaper without reading a word. Her brain was solely on the camping trip. Tristan’s kiss had looped itself on some sort of rerun cycle that wouldn’t end.

  Releasing a breath she dropped her head down against the paper. The reality of the last few days had set her on edge. It seemed like it took only seconds to destroy years of what she had worked so hard for.

  After their encounter on the mountain they headed back to camp, where John talked her ear off about his day. Not once did he ask about her day or what she did, which she was grateful for. Although as the night went on she felt Tristan’s eyes on her, silently begging her to come to him.

  She was beside herself at the thought of accepting his silent invite. Though she was all too aware of John at her side—who was becoming all too aware of Tristan’s sudden attention—and
could do nothing but sit and quietly consider the other man’s welcome.

  Now she sat wondering what would have happened if she had ignored John and joined Tristan in his all too inviting bed. Chaos. That’s exactly what would’ve happened. She did the right thing. Maybe her heart thought differently, but her brain did what she was suppose to. She just wished her heart would shut up already.

  A light rap on her front door had her snapping out of her thoughts. She needed to pull it together. It was most likely John at the door and she should be concentrating on them and not on what could’ve or more like should’ve never happen.

  Straightening herself the best she could she answered the door only to be put back into the frenzied disarray. “What are you doing here?”

  Tristan smiled that smile, reminding her what a beautiful disaster her heart was in. Lifting an envelope he wiggled it slightly. “Payment for last weekend.”

  “What? You want to pay me?” His words weren’t making sense. She tried to focus harder on what he was saying and not on the fact that her brain was staring to agree with her heart by picturing him naked.

  “I told ye that I would if you went up with the team that day.”

  She knew what day he spoke of. “You didn’t have to pay me.”

  “Nay. But it made a great excuse to see ye again.” He boldly admitted.

  Her eyes darted from his unsure of what to say.

  “May I come in?” His accent sang over her like a caress she desperately needed.

  Stepping back she allowed him access to her tiny home. She remembered his trailer and how much he was worth and instantly felt subconscious about her living room. A well used couch and a beat-up recliner used up most of her family room. Across from that sat her small dining area with a table that was older than her and four mismatched chairs.

  “It’s not much. But it’s mine.” She sighed wishing she hadn’t let him in. He was probably uncomfortable. Most people don’t travel from first class to second without a queasy stumble. Even if they were just visiting.

  He chuckled deeply before turning to her. “If I didna know this was yer home I would have figured it was. It looks just like ye. It reflects everything I like about you.”